


The Willing Damsel

by NinjaFalcon90



Series: Superhero AU [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Awkward Germany (Hetalia), Cute North Italy (Hetalia), Damsels in Distress, Feliciano is pretty lovesick, Feliciano saves Ludwig, Kidnapping, Light Angst, M/M, Protective Germany, Romance, Some Fluff, Supervillains, The story is actually pretty lighthearted despite the summary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinjaFalcon90/pseuds/NinjaFalcon90
Summary: "I didn’t just want to be just a damsel. I wanted to be his."...An Italian news broadcaster is willing to be repeatedly abducted to be rescued by the superhero he harbored feelings for again and again.
Relationships: Germany/North Italy (Hetalia)
Series: Superhero AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845886
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	The Willing Damsel

**Author's Note:**

> Translation Notes:  
> -Scheisse= shit  
> -Grazie= Thank you  
> -Si= Yes  
> -Ciao= Hello  
> -Hallo= Hello  
> -Mein bruder= My brother  
> -Verdammnt= Dammit  
> -Guten tag= Good day  
> -Nein= No  
> -Ja= Yes  
> -Mein gott= My god  
> -Danke= Thank you  
> Context Notes:  
> Who's who:  
> -Ludwig= Metal Man. Powers= Magnetic manipulation and indestructibility  
> -Alfred= Captain Justice. Powers= Super strength. Also fights with a sword  
> -Matthew= Captain Protector. Powers= Invisibility. Also wields a shield  
> -Gilbert= Silver Beam. Powers= Sonic waves and flight  
> -Sadik= Mr. Mask. Powers= Shape-shifting

Feliciano’s day began normally. He was out of his apartment by 7:00 am. After picking up Lovino, they stopped by at Starbucks for two venti-sized coffees and breakfast muffins. They arrived at the news station by their call time.

Feliciano chugged down his coffee as he reviewed his interview script. Face powders were patted on his skin. Before he went into the news van, he straightened his blue tie and flattened the winkles in his favorite blue blazer.

Microphone in his hand, Feliciano stood in front of the city hall and reported the campaigns for mayor. He kept his eyes on Lovino’s rolling camera. People hurrying to work passed by him left and right. Arms brushed him on the shoulder and back.

Feliciano barely twitched when he a felt a hand on the small of his back. He continued to read the invisible script dangling in front of him. Though, the arm underneath his legs jolted him out of his concentration. By the time Lovino looked up from his camera and the other workers turned at Feliciano’s scream, all that was left of the news broadcaster was a microphone on the ground.

“Help me!” Witnesses froze in shock and watched the abductor shove his way through the crowd. As he struggled in his kidnapper’s hold, Feliciano tried to get a look at his face. The kidnapper’s grey hat concealed his features.

Soon, the abductor tossed Feliciano into the back of a van. Cold handcuffs clicked behind Feliciano as he squirmed underneath the knee digging into his back.

Feliciano’s heartbeats pounded in his ears. “W-Who are you?”

The abductor chuckled as he threw his fedora onto the passenger seat. His white skin darkened into an olive tone. Brown hair sprouted out of his buzz cut. The trench coat fell off his shoulders. His dress shirt and trousers turned into a one-piece dark green and grey spandex suit.

“Mr. Mask!” Feliciano exclaimed. 

Mr. Mask was a supervillain with shapeshifting abilities. He made his debut in the news when he imprisoned the CEO of a popular networking platform and assured his identity. Fortunately, his devious plan to shut the network down was thwarted by Captain Justice and Captain Protector. Like how he viewed other villains, Feliciano saw Mr. Mask as terrifying and evil with one tiny difference. Most supervillains sought to conquer or destroy the city to expand their power. Mr. Mask only sought to create chaos.

Mr. Mask drove the van into the street. He paid no heed to the angry honks and screeching tires behind him. Before he could speed down the street, an explosive bang came from the vehicle. Smoke crept out the corners of the van’s hood.

 _“Shit.”_ Mr. Mask’s foot thumped on the gas petal. The vehicle would not start.

A superhero garbed in black and gold ran towards the van from the front. The initials M.M. shone on his chest. His gloved hands balled into large fists. Behind his black mask, his icy blue eyes glared at Mr. Mask. He was Metal Man, a superhero with magnetic manipulation powers and invulnerability.

Mr. Mask hurried out of the driver’s seat. The drivers behind him continued to honk at him as he entered the back of the van, ceasing when Mr. Mask emerged with Feliciano draped over his shoulder.

“Halt!” Metal Man barked.

Just as when Metal Man arrived at the scene, Mr. Mask threw a grey ball onto the ground. It cracked open with a pop. Metal Man coughed as smoke burned his eyes. By the time the smoke cleared, Mr. Mask and Feliciano were gone.

“Scheisse!”

The wind whooshed in Feliciano’s ears as Mr. Mask dashed into a construction site. Voices shouted. Yellow hard hats and reflective orange rests flashed by him.

A worker was boarding a small mechanic elevator. The sound of hurrying steps on gritty dirt turned his heads.

“What the—” Mr. Mask shoved him off and boarded the elevator.

The world below grew smaller and smaller. His face becoming cold, Feliciano ceased his struggles. The elevator reached the middle of the structure. Piles of metal rods and bricks sat at the corners, yet to be used.

Mr. Mask plopped Feliciano down, close to the edge. As blood gushed from his face, Feliciano screamed and clutched his eyes shut.

“Hmmm, we have a growing audience!” Whimpering, Feliciano hesitantly opened an eye. Below, news vans skidded to a halt. News workers, some Feliciano recognized as Lovino and several coworkers, hurried into the construction site. Onlookers gathered on the street.

“This is perfect for my declaration.”

“Declaration?” Feliciano asked.

“My declaration about the corruption of media. News media, social media, anything that creates false narratives.” Mr. Mask pointed to his white mask. “We love to hide behind personas and imaginary worlds.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Feliciano dared to question.

“Your name is known in this city. You are not just a mere news reporter who appears on television every day. People know you as the Italian news broadcaster who covers at least one so-called happy story in every session with a large smile. They use you to create an illusion to shield themselves from harsh reality.”

“Until my getaway was halted, I was planning to keep you locked away and harass the government with cryptic messages. But since we are trapped here, that can’t be done anymore.”

“There is another alternative however.” Feliciano’s tongue went dry at the villain’s smirk.

“What do you mean—NOOO!”

Mr. Mask scooped Feliciano into his arms and carried him over the edge. Voices shrieked and shouted from below. Feliciano’s muscles froze. His eyes clutched. He dared not to struggle. One wrong move and Mr. Mask would drop him—intentionally or unintentionally.

“Wouldn’t it be ironic for the news station to do a report on your death?”

Mr. Mask was so fixated on the crowd’s gasps and pointing fingers that Metal Man managed to scale up the building’s metal beams without detection. His hands and feet stuck on the beam’s surface like tape. After climbing into the floor, Metal Man crept closer to the villain and his hostage. He rose a hand.

“Oof!” Mr. Mask’s face was knocked back by Feliciano.

“Wah!” An invisible force pulled Feliciano away from his captor by the handcuffs. He was gently set down at Metal Man’s boots.

“M-Metal Man?” Feliciano gasped as he looked up at the stern-face superhero.

“Grr, you again!” Mr. Mask said through gritted teeth.

The handcuffs cracked open and shattered on the ground. Feliciano rubbed the red sores around his wrists.

“You lost.” Metal Man’s expression was stoic. “Surrender now.”

“Never. Give him back! Or—”

Several levitating bars flew towards Mr. Mask. They were pointed too close to his face for comfort.

Mr. Mask scowled. “This will not be the end of it!” he threatened. “I’ll be back for Feliciano Vargas!”

A cloud of smoke enveloped around the villain. When it cleared, a crow was shown flying into the distance.

Metal Man sighed in relief. “Are you unharmed?”

Other than his disheveled hair, the dirt smudged on his clothes, and his hands still quivering from the adrenaline rush, Feliciano was ok. “Mmmm hmmm.” A large smile spread across Feliciano’s features. “You saved me! Grazie!”

“Woah!” Metal Man exclaimed when the broadcaster embraced him. His body tensed, not expecting any physical contact.

“You’re my hero! I was so scared when Mr. Mask picked me up! He threw me into the van and was about to drive off but then there was a large boom and he picked me and ran over here!” Feliciano blabbered. Metal Man remained unfrazzled, unaffected by Feliciano’s tightening hug. “Then he brought me up here and I was so scared because I thought he was going to push me off but then you arrived and—”

Metal Man interrupted. “Ja, I know the rest of the story. Come on, let’s get down from here now.”

“Oh, si! Can we celebrate with a pasta dinner?”

“…Maybe some other time.”

The crowd cheered when Metal Man and Feliciano stepped off the elevator. After wiping the tears off his cheeks, the glowering Lovino stomped towards his little brother and called him a fucking idiot for scaring him to death. Microphones were pointed at him. Cameras flashed.

“Mr. Vargas, how are you feeling currently?”

“I’m happy because my hero Metal Man saved me!” Feliciano looked behind him to acknowledge his savior.

Though, where Metal Man was standing were now journalists trying to squeeze into the circle.

* * *

For a period of time, Feliciano was absent from the television screen. Some suspected that the bubbly news broadcaster was traumatized from the ordeal and decided to quit. Contrary to rumors, however, Feliciano’s blue blazer and hair curl reappeared on the 5 o’clock news a week later. His smiles were natural as before, as if a supervillain never snatched him during his shift and threatened to throw him off a building.

Mr. Mask vanished without a trace. Initially, his threat to abduct Feliciano again made Feliciano double-check his door locks and look over his shoulders as he walked back to his car. However, soon Feliciano was back to humming a light-hearted tune as he walked to the nearest grocery store, mind occupied with the memory of Metal Man saving his life.

_“I would like to see Metal Man again. It’s a shame that I don’t know where he is.”_

Unbeknownst to Feliciano, he would see Metal Man again. After returning to his job, Feliciano would be abducted during his lunch break, while strolling back home, and waiting in his car for Lovino. In all scenarios, Metal Man came to his rescue. 

In a span of a month, Feliciano Vargas’s reputation shifted from being a cheery Italian news reporter to being _the_ cheery Italian news reporter who was abducted by random criminals at least once a week. Feliciano’s abductors always fled the scene once when Metal Man pulled Feliciano free from their clutches, hence the police could not figure out if they were associated with Mr. Mask. Either way, Feliciano was not bothered one bit. Being abducted meant being rescued by his favorite savior Metal Man again.

In fact, sometimes, Feliciano _intentionally_ got into trouble.

One day, Feliciano got off work and returned to his home. Across the street was a moving van parked in front of a vacant apartment. A few cardboard boxes sat on the sidewalk.

 _“New neighbors!”_ Feliciano thought excitedly.

An albino man stepped out of the back of the truck. In his hands was a box of plates.

“Ciao!” Feliciano greeted.

Ruby red eyes lit. “Oh, hallo!” The albino smirked. “You’re the news reporter we hear about all the time!”

Feliciano blushed in embarrassment before smiling again. “Si! That’s me! I’m Feliciano! What’s your name?”

“Name’s Gilbert! I’m helping mein bruder move. Let me bring him out!”

The plates rattled in the box as Gilbert rushed inside the apartment.

“Hey, Ludwig!”

“Verdammnt, Gilbert!” A deeper voice yelled. “Be careful with these!”

“I am, I am! Someone wants to meet you!”

“…someone?”

“Kesesesese! It’s someone named Feliciano!”

“…Vargas?” The voice faltered. “Tell him that I’ll—Oi! Stop!”

Snickering, Gilbert dragged Ludwig by the arm out into the doorway. Ludwig’s face reddened at Feliciano, who tilted his head slightly on confusion. Sweat began to shine on Ludwig’s forehead.

“Um…” Ludwig’s flustered expression fell and relaxed into a deadpan expression. He adjusted his brown-rimmed glasses and ran a hand over his slicked-back blond hair. “Guten tag. My name is Ludwig. Your name is Feliciano, am I correct?”

“Yes!” Feliciano’s smile sent more warmth to Ludwig’s cheek. “Nice to meet you! Do you need help with moving?”

Before Ludwig could answer with a curt “Nein”, Gilbert elbowed him.

Ludwig huffed. “…Yes, I do.”

As Feliciano later learned, Ludwig Beilschmidt used to live with Gilbert in the eastern part of the city. Ludwig’s promotion transferred him to a building in the western part. As a result, he decided to move out of his brother’s apartment to live closer to work.

Unlike Gilbert, Ludwig was stern and reserved. Most of the facts Feliciano learned about him flew from Gilbert’s mouth, much to Ludwig’s embarrassment. Ludwig was a dog person. He had a sweet tooth. He loved baking and cooking.

Despite Ludwig’s stoicism and large build, Feliciano never felt threatened by his presence. He regarded him as interesting like other people. In contrast, although Feliciano was shorter and scrawnier than Ludwig, Ludwig kept his distance from him. He averted his eyes from the Italian, though Feliciano caught him looking at him several times.

 _“Maybe he’s shy.”_ Feliciano bit his lips to suppress a giggle.

The three finished moving by the end of the day. After watching Gilbert drive off in the moving van, Feliciano said to Ludwig, “I’m happy to have you as a neighbor! Would you like to come over for dinner sometime?”

Ludwig’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Er… Give me some time to settle down. When I’m ready, I will tell you.”

“Ok! Let me know!”

Feliciano walked across the street to return home. Once inside, he peered back at Ludwig through the window blinds. Ludwig frowned as he closed his front door.

“Why do I feel that Ludwig is sad?” Feliciano asked himself as he sat on the sofa. He arched his brows in a worried expression. “I hope I didn’t do anything bad…”

The next day, Feliciano decided to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients for pasta. Although he got off work in the afternoon, he did not leave until 8 o’ clock, not because he was occupied with vacuuming the floor, dusting the furniture, and cleaning the bathroom. The evening’s dusk provided enough shadows to hide bad guys, bad guys for his darling superhero to rescue him from.

Coincidentally, Ludwig came out of his apartment just as Feliciano was locking the front door.

“Ciao, Ludwig!”

“Oh, guten tag Feliciano. Where are you going right now?”

“I’m going to the supermarket to get ingredients for pasta!”

Ludwig nodded. “Hmmm… I see… I was actually going to go there too. May I come with you?”

“Sure!” Feliciano smiled, oblivious to Ludwig’s flushing face.

Stars started to appear in the darkening sky. cars’ red and white lights flashed by with a whoosh. Red and blue open signs flickered. Street lights turned green, yellow, and red.

Pedestrians walked by the two. The smiles that rose at Feliciano’s cheery chirps fell into a daunted stare at Ludwig’s glares. The larger blond male kept a sharp eye on all the strangers until they were several feet away. Feliciano continued to blabber about his favorite foods, remaining unknown to the averting eyes and whispers.

“Feliciano?” Ludwig spoke up. “Do you always go out this late?”

“I shouldn’t, but I do. Why do you ask?” Feliciano replied innocently.

“Well, you’re always in the news because you are always getting kidnapped.”

“So?”

“Don’t you get scared?”

“A little. But it’s ok!” Ludwig rose a concerned brow at Feliciano’s carefree smile. “The superheroes always come and save me!”

“It’s still dangerous!” Ludwig said sternly. “What if a superhero fails to stop them? What would happen next?”

“Metal Man never fails! I let myself get captured a lot of times and he’s always there to rescue me~”

“Well, you still shouldn’t put yourself into danger! Metal Man must be very worried—”

“Oh, we’re here!”

Before Ludwig could finish, Feliciano ran to get a shopping cart.

From that night on, Feliciano came across Ludwig whenever he left his apartment to go somewhere. All the time, Ludwig happened to be heading to the same destination. Drug store? Ludwig needed to get aspirin. Park? Ludwig enjoyed taking scrolls late in the night. Coffee shop? Ludwig needed his caffeine fix. Initially, having Ludwig by his side was refreshing. Feliciano spent most of his free time alone in his apartment, so he was always happy to have company.

However, as Feliciano eventually discovered, Ludwig’s company came with Metal Man’s disappearance from his life. Ludwig was intimidating enough to ward off potential kidnappers. Of course, Ludwig was not always with Feliciano. During work, Feliciano found ways to get himself into trouble. Seventy-five percent of the time, he was successfully taken by a stranger. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, however, a superhero other than Metal Man rescued him.

Feliciano’s large smile fell with his stomach. A blond cowlick bobbed in the wind. Bright baby blue eyes peered down at him.

“Captain Justice is here to save you, my dude!” The superhero grinned as he broke the handcuffs with his gloved hands.

“…Oh…” Feliciano only said.

Captain Justice frowned. “Dude, aren’t you happy to have a hero save you? You rather get taken away by a creepy dude?”

“Um, no! I’m happy that you saved me!” Feliciano’s smile did not match his eyes.

Feliciano missed how his heart raced when Metal Man fought his abductors and broke his bindings. He missed the warmth from his chest and arms that calmed his nerves. He missed wondering what was behind that superhero’s black mask. Metal Man’s disappearance from Feliciano’s life infuriated Feliciano’s infatuation. His days ended with him lying in his bed, wondering if Metal Man was too busy or if Metal Man was safe.

However, his neighbor Ludwig provided a definite answer, a possibility Feliciano denied until now.

One night, Feliciano decided to go to the park on his own. After peaking through the blinds for Ludwig, he snuck outside and quietly locked the door. He peered around for any signs of Ludwig before heading down the street. As he walked, he anticipated being grabbed and dragged into a car, just like his previous kidnapping scenarios. Maybe this time Metal Man would appear.

However, Feliciano did not expect being confronted by a mugger, a criminal more interested in Feliciano’s money than Feliciano himself. Faced with a blade, Feliciano froze, only able to comply with the mugger’s instructions. Just as Feliciano rummaged through his pocket for his wallet, Ludwig appeared. The blond sent a fist to the mugger’s face before snatching Feliciano’s arm.

The pair did not spot running until they were in front of their apartments again. As they huffed for air, Feliciano kept his eyes on the sidewalk, too ashamed to look up at Ludwig.

“How many times are you going to put yourself in danger like this?” Ludwig scolded. “Don’t you know what would’ve happen if I didn’t come in time?”

Feliciano’s voice rang. “Metal Man or another superhero at least would’ve saved me! They—”

Ludwig’s shout echoed. “Are you saying that you’re risking your safety just to see a superhero?”

“Not any superhero. Just Metal Man!”

“Why are you so obsessed with Metal Man?”

“I just want to see Metal Man! I haven’t been seeing him!”

“Metal Man _probably_ doesn’t want to see you because he is tired of recusing you all the damn time!” Ludwig’s mouth snapped shut. His eyes widened at the sentence he just blurted out. Color drained from his face.

The two gazed at each other. A lone car zoomed past them.

Feliciano looked down as his lips quivered. He did not see Ludwig’s glare soften. “You’re right. Metal Man is tired of me. Recently, only the other superheroes have been recusing me. I’m so stupid… When I finally want to tell him that I love him, he doesn’t want me around anymore. I didn’t just want to be just a damsel. I wanted to be his. I told you before. The only way we could interact with each other was by him rescuing me. I always wondered who he was under that mask. Maybe his alter ego and I could get together. But we can’t. He’s a superhero and I’m just a human.”

“Ludwig? Had you ever fell for someone who isn’t attainable for you? That’s how it feels now.” Behind his straight face, Ludwig felt like he was punched in the gut.

Feliciano’s eyes darted at Ludwig’s home. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. I promise that I won’t get into trouble again”

“Ja.” Ludwig only said as he followed the smaller, gloomy male.

_“Oh, Feliciano. You wouldn’t know.”_

The two did not notice a figure in the alleyway listening to their conversation.

* * *

The next day, Feliciano tried to return to his normal life. As usual, he left his apartment dressed in his blue blazer and arrived at the news station with Lovino by his side. Though, not even coffee could help him focus on his script. Now that he knew Metal Man was tired of rescuing him, Feliciano now had a vacant void. The superhero who made his life much interesting was gone now.

When he returned from work, Feliciano could not help but sadly look across the street. His heart ached at the empty doorstep and closed blinds. Like Metal Man, Ludwig must have also seen him as a burden.

 _“Does Ludwig still want to see me? What if he hates me now?”_ For the next few hours, Feliciano lied on his couch in a ball. The more he thought about it, Ludwig’s presence was enough for Feliciano to unconsciously stop thinking about Metal Man for the moment.

Feliciano actually had two empty voids in his heart.

The doorbell rang. Feliciano nearly tumbled off the sofa.

 _“It’s eight now? How did time pass so quickly?”_ He asked himself as he opened the door.

Feliciano’s eyes widened. “Ludwig?”

Ludwig smiled slightly. “Hello, Feliciano. May I come in? I need to speak with you.”

 _“It’s probably about the fight last night. Still, something feels not right…”_ Feliciano smiled back. “Come in! Do you want anything to drink?”

“Do you have coffee?”

“Si!”

 _“Something’s with Ludwig.”_ Feliciano thought as he went to the kitchen. _“Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m still scared to talk to him.”_

The bowl of coffee beans was empty.

“Hey Ludwig? There are no more beans. Want to go to the supermarket with—?”

As Feliciano could turn around, a fist slammed the side of his head.

* * *

“…Ouch…” Feliciano groaned as he rubbed his aching head. “What happened?”

The surrounding metal bars made Feliciano’s race in panic.

Hands clutched and pulled the bars. “Ludwig! Ludwig! Where are you?” Feliciano’s eyes darted around.

“Look, he’s awake.”

“Let’s take him over to the boss now.”

A lock clicked open. Two men dragged Feliciano out, seized him by his arms, and led him down the steamy, humid room. Pipes and boilers surrounded the three with no door in sight. Machines groaned and chugged. Steam hissed as it leaked out of the pipes.

“Here he is, boss.”

Atop the deck overlooking the rows of conveyor belts, furnaces, and vats of molten steel was a familiar supervillain with a white mask.

“Mr. Mask?!” Feliciano exclaimed.

Mr. Mask grinned. “Hello, Feliciano. We meet again.”

“W-What do you want from me?” Feliciano shifted uncomfortably in the henchmen’s tight hold.

“What I wanted from you the first time I caught you. You as a hostage.”

“For your message and war on the media again? You’ll never succeed! Metal Man will come and rescue me! Or another superhero!”

“Another superhero, yes. Metal Man, no. He’s out of commission now.” Mr. Mask gestured at the rattling chains and grunts below.

Mr. Mask’s men pushed Feliciano towards the railing. Looking down, Feliciano’s eyes widened in horror. Metal Man was lying on a conveyer belt. He pulled against the chains wrapped around him with no avail. At the end of the conveyer belt was a bubbling vat of molten metal.

“No!” Feliciano pulled against henchmen’s hold.

Metal Man’s eyes lit up at the familiar scream. “Feliciano!”

“How? Why?” Feliciano could only ask.

“Simple.” Mr. Mask began. “All the strange men who abducted you were my newly recruited henchmen. Whenever I sent them to capture you, altogether, Metal Man always came to your rescue. We knew we had to do something to stop him or we’ll never get you. After many observations and research, we finally created a metal that canceled forces. It was just in time too. By the time we finished making it, Metal Man stopped coming to your aid.”

Feliciano winced at Ludwig’s angry shout. The chains wrapped around him were too tight for comfort.

“We noticed that Metal Man ‘disappeared’ on the same day a new neighbor moved from across your home.” Feliciano’s face went cold at Mr. Mask’s statement. “We didn’t think much of it until he started accompanying you to places. Interesting enough, at the same time, Metal Man did not show up to protect the city by himself or with other superheroes.”

“After witnessing your argument with your neighbor, we decided to do a test. First, capture you so I can assure your identity. Next, pretend to be you getting attacked by my own henchmen in your street’s vicinity. The person who appeared around your neighbor’s home was not your neighbor. It was Metal Man.”

A henchman unmasked Metal Man. He placed a pair of glasses in his mask’s place. Feliciano’s jaw dropped. His knees grew weak as his shoulders grew heavier.

“Ludwig?”

“So, we quickly concluded that your new neighbor is Metal Man and brought him here. He might be hard physically and mentally, but we managed to soften him up once we told him we were holding you hostage here.”

“No… No…” Feliciano barely uttered before he began to shriek and thrash against the henchmen’s grasps. “No! Please! Don’t hurt Ludwig! Don’t hurt him please!”

“To think that Metal Man’s demise was caused by a lovesick damsel.” Mr. Mask taunted. “Men. Take him back to his cell.” He ordered before entering the control panel room.

The two henchmen nodded before leading the struggling Feliciano down the stairs. Gears clanked and began to turn. The conveyer belt began to carry Ludwig to the vat.

“Verdammt!” Ludwig jerked against the clattering chains. “Feliciano!”

Feliciano’s eyes, once wide with terror, narrowed into a glower. The paralyzing cold fear running through his veins was replaced by a scorching fury. His heart began to beat faster, as if it was not already pumping fast enough. 

“Let go of me!” Feliciano jerked his arm free from one of the henchmen and elbowed him into the stomach.

“What the—” The second henchman was punched in the face.

“Ludwig!” Feliciano yelled. He snatched a metal wrench from the ground before running towards the stairs.

“He’s getting away! Get ‘em!”

Several henchmen hurried after Feliciano. They tried to grab Feliciano, only to met with a wrench to the stomach or, if unlucky enough, to the face. Those who narrowly dodged the attack were frozen by Feliciano’s scowl, a deathly look uncharacteristic of the smiling news broadcaster they were familiar with. His disheveled, unkempt hair contributed to his wild look. The rage burning in Feliciano’s eyes thawed the henchmen out of their own stunned shock, sending them running away from him.

Mr. Mask whipped around at the thunderous footsteps. His mask concealed a brief flash of terror in his eyes. Wrench clutched in his shaking fist, Feliciano huffed heavily as he shot amber daggers at the supervillain.

“Stop that belt!” Feliciano swung his wrench.

Mr. Mask caught the wrench. Feliciano grunted as he tugged against his grasp. He cried out as he was shoved to the ground.

The wrench was pointed at Feliciano’s face. “Oh, so it’s the damsel trying to be the hero now. How ironic.” Mr. Mask chuckled. Would you still save Metal Man even if he was just plain Ludwig? Ludwig without the superpowers?”

Feliciano paused. His eyes widened, occupied with the intriguing question before narrowing into a sharp glare. “Si! I’m not saving Metal Man, I’m saving Ludwig!” Feliciano let out a battle cry as he tackled Mr. Mask.

Mr. Mask cursed as he struggled to throw Feliciano off. Although Feliciano was shorter and thinner, adrenaline was one heck of a hormone. Love and anger were also two heck of emotions. Feliciano and Mr. Mask struggled towards the stairway. With a grunt, Feliciano gave his enemy one final shove. Mr. Mask fell backwards with a shout. Feliciano hurried to the control panel, away from the cries of pain and violent thumps.

“Which one is it, which one is it?” The panel had an assortment of buttons, levers, and flashing numbers. 

“Please work, please work!” Feliciano pulled down the largest lever with the red handle.

The conveyor belt halted. Ludwig was only a mere inch away from being dumped into the vat. He let out a sigh of relief as the belt went towards the opposite direction, away from the molten steel. “Mein gott…”

“Ludwigludwigludwigludwigludwig!” After stopping the belt, Feliciano dashed down the stairs.

“Feliciano! Oh, danke gott you’re safe!”

Feliciano looked up from the chains and pouted. “You’re worried about me? If I didn’t get there in time, you would’ve been molten lava by now! Now, how do we get this off you…”

Feliciano tugged on the chains, oblivious to Mr. Mask creeping up from behind.

“Feliciano, behind you—!”

“WHAM!”

Feliciano’s head whipped around. Mr. Mask tumbled onto the ground unconscious.

“Are you guys ok?” Feliciano and Ludwig’s eyes darted up at the source of the voice. A blond superhero in red and white emerged.

“Captain Protector!” Feliciano exclaimed excitedly.

“We’re safe, danke.” Ludwig answered.

“Captain Protector!” Silver Beam, an albino superhero surrounded by yellow canaries, dashed over. “Captain Justice just finished rounding up all the henchmen. The police are taking them all in.”

“Great.” Captain Protector threw Mr. Mask over his shoulder. “I’ll turn Mr. Mask in.”

“All right.” As Captain Protector headed out, Silver Beam turned to Feliciano and Ludwig. “Once when Captain Justice’s here, he’ll probably be able to break you free.”

“Danke. Hopefully he can break me out.”

“By the way, do you two want some alone time now?” Silver Beam snickered as he winked.

Ludwig’s face reddened. Feliciano giggled.

* * *

_**Several Days Later** _

Ludwig dug through the cupboard. He frowned at the empty jar of nutmeg.

 _“Well, looks like another trip to the supermarket again.”_ After putting on his coat, Ludwig slipped his wallet into pockets. His keys tingled as he opened the door.

Standing at his doorstep was Feliciano.

“Oh. Guten tag, Feliciano.” Ludwig greeted.

“Ciao! What are you doing?”

“I’m going to the supermarket. There is a spice I need for a dish I’m making tomorrow.”

“I see… I don’t need anything from the supermarket, but…” Feliciano fidgeted with his fingers as he smiled shyly. “Can I escort you there?”

“Hmmm…” Ludwig put on his thinking face.

“Ja, you may come, my hero.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was actually completed last month, so the style is different then what I'm trying to go for right now. I wasn't (and) still not too happy with how Mr. Mask managed to capture Metal Man, so I didn't immediately upload it after proofreading it. However, due to the Superhero AU series not getting any updates, here it is.  
> I made Sadik the villain because 1. That mask is dope. It signifies concealing one's identity, hence Mr. Mask's ability to transform. 2. Little Italy did beat Turkey once in war, hence Feliciano saving Ludwig from Mr. Mask. I don't know too much about Sadik's character, so hopefully his characterization is bearable for this story.  
> I know that I mentioned in "Rising Heroes" about going back to designer babies, but the central reason why this story was written first was due to the fact that I don't have much stories about other characters other than Alfred, Matthew, and Arthur in the spotlight. If it weren't for "Across the Street", this would have been my first GerIta story uploaded here. The next story in this series is likely going to revolve around Antonio and Lovino, since I haven't written about that pairing yet.


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